Boot rack



A. N. ARENZ Dec. 23, 1941.

BOOT RACK I Filed April 16, 1941 r O f. n e D n 3 Patented Dec. 23, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOOT RACK Albert N. Arena, La Crosse, Wis.

n Application April 16, 1941, Serial No. 388,843

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved boot rack in the nature of a hanger for a pair .of boots. which hanger. is adapted to be suspended from a, suitable support, and to suspend boots, preferably, in upside down or inverted position.

By the utilization of the device of my invention a pair of boots, or similar articles of foot-wear, may be displayed in a sales-room, or in a store window, at full length in order to maintain the original shape of the foot-wear and to avoid the tendency of the material of the foot-wear to wrinkle. The boot rack is also designed for domestic use, where a number of racks maybe employed to suspend the family foot-wear in convenient and orderly manner. The boot racks are especially desirable for use by sportsmen, fisherleather boots B of-the lacing type are shown, and from another rack a pair of galoshes, indicated as G, are suspended, in inverted position.

In the preferred form of my invention as shown in Figure 1 the wire rack is fashioned with and includes a pair of complementary horizontally disposed U-shaped yokes -l and 2, and the outer arm of each yoke, as shown, has an outwardly curved or flared free end, as 3 and .4, to form resilient guides and retainers for the boots.

The wire from which the two yokes are fash- I ioned is preferably resilient, so that the two outer arms of the yokes may spread slightly, and these outturned ends 3 and 4 serve not only toguide the boots as they are inserted, heel first, into a yoke, but the arms also grasp the inverted boot men, and others, who temporarily suspend their boots when not in use in inverted position, overnight, to facilitate the draining and drying out of their foot-wear which may have become wet during the preceding day.

For convenience of illustration and description I shall refer to the articles of foot-wear that may be suspended from the rack as a pair of boots, but it will be understood that the rack is adapted to accommodate boots of leather, rubber, and laced leather boots, as well as galoshes and other "high" foot-wear, and even low shoes or foot-wear of various kinds may be supported in inverted position on the racks.

In carrying out my invention, the boot racks are preferably fashioned from wire of desirable gage, and suitable tools are utilized to manufacture the racks at a comparatively-low cost of production. i

The invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts of the rack as will be hereinafter pointed out and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to one mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

Flgure 1 is a perspective view of a boot rack embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a number of the racks suspended from a supporting bar, and two pairs of footwear are shown suspended in inverted position from their racks or hangers.

In Figure 2 of the drawing, and in order that the utility of the rack may readily be understood, I have shownseveral racks suspended from a supporting bar or rod R. On one rack a pair of and retain it in its yoke. Thus, as indicated in Figure 2, the round end of each yoke grasps the inverted boot around the heel portion, and the free arms of the yokes as well as the adjoining inner arms of the yokes, extend forwardly alon thesides of the foot portion of a boot to engage the boot and suspend it as indicated. The foot portion of the boot is thus supported above the plane of the rack, and the narrower ankle portion of the boot is suspended below the rack, the leg portion and top of the inverted boot of course depending from and below the rack.

The two yokes or hangers l and 2 of the rack are joined by a central bend 5 located somewhat to the rear of the front open ends of the yokes, but the parallel inner adjoining arms of the yokes are of proper length to extend under and support the feet portions of the boots at approximately the ball portions of the foot-wear.

For freely suspending the rack it is fashioned with an upright suspending rod 6 that is disposed perpendicularly to the plane of the two yokes, and the center of gravity of the rack is determined by the location of the rod with respect to the yokes in order that the rack will normally be in horizontal position and the soles of the suspended foot-wear are in approximately horizontal planes.

The lower end of the rod 6 is fashioned with a right angle bend 'I, and a short, horizontal leg 8 of the rod projects forwardly between and centrally of the two adjoining inner arms of the yokes. At 9 the end of the horizontal leg is securely attached to the bend portion 5 in suitable manner, as by welding, and the upper free end of the suspending rod is fashioned in the form of a suspending hook Ill by means of which the rack may be suspended from a support as shown in Figure 2.

2 menses in the horizontal plane. thus assuring an orderly. arrangement when a series oi racks are supported from a supporting bar, as in Figure 2.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A boot rack including a pair of rigidly joined horizontally disposed U-shaped yokes, a single suspending rod for the yokes. and a suspending device on the rod for co-action with a suitable support.

2. A boot rack including a pair of rigidly joined horizontally disposed open-front U-shaped yokes'. the outer tree arm oi each yoke being of resilient material and having its front end portion outwardly flared, a single suspending rod for the yokes, and a s spending device on the rod for 00- action with a suitable support.

3. Aboot rack including a pair of U-shaped yokes having their inner adjoining arms joined by a rigid bend, the outer free arms oi the yokes 10 being of resilient material and having their iront ends projecting beyond and flared outwardly from the bend, and a single suspending device for the rack.

4. A boot rack includinga pair of U-shaped 15 yokes having their inner adjoining arms joined by a rigid bend. the outer iree arms or the yokes being of resilient material and having their front ends projecting beyond and flared outwardly from the bend, a suspending rod having an angular leg 20 secured to the bend, and a suspending device on the rod.

- ALBERT N. ARENZ. 

